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A. KEY 



CORRECT PRONUNCIATION 



FRENCH LANGUAGE, 



PROF. BREITHOF. 



. / 

c BOSTON: 

DE VRIES & CO. 3 BEACON STREET. 
18 66. 



•31 



Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1866, by 

MICHEL BREITHOF, 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, for the South- 
ern District of New York. 



J. E. FAKWELL & CO., PRINTERS, 
37 Congress Street, Boston. 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE. 

Introduction . . . . . . .5 

Division op Words into Syllables ... 7 

Tonic Accent or Stress «. . . . .8 

CHAPTER I. 

PRONUNCIATION OF THE VOWELS. 

§ 1. Simple Vowels . . . . . .9 

§ 2. Compound Vowels . . . . . .18 

§ 3. Diphthongs . . . . . .20 

§ 4. Remarks on the Nasal Sounds . . . .22 

Linking op Final n . . . .25 

§ 5. Elision of Final e mute . . . . .26 

§ 6. Additional Remarks on e mute . . .27 

CHAPTER II. 

TYPOGRAPHIC MARKS OF THE VOWELS. 

§ 1. Accents — Their Use . . . . .29 

§ 2. Remarks on Long and Short Vowels . . 30 

§ 3. Dleresis . . . . . . .34 

CHAPTER III. 

PRONUNCIATION OF THE CONSONANTS. 

§ 1. Final Consonants Preceded by Vowels . . 37 

§ 2. Final Consonants Preceded by Consonants . . 40 

§ 3. Silent Consonants in the Middle of Words . 42 

§ 4. Linking of Final Consonants . . . .42 

§ 5. Additional Remarks on the Consonants . . 44 



ERRATUM. 

First line of page 21, instead of oignon read encoignure. 



INTRODUCTION. 



1. The French alphabet is identically the same as the 
English ; but two letters (k and w) do not properly 
belong to the French Alphabet, as they are only found 
in a few words borrowed from foreign languages. 

N". B. The six letters a, e, i, o, u, y, are called vowels, as in 
English; the remaining letters, b, c . . . w, x, z, are consonants. 

2. The French and English letters, although similar 
in form, are far from having similar sounds in all posi- 
tions. Some letters (h,j, th, w,) never sound alike in 
both languages. 

H (A) is constantly silent in French, according to the 
pronunciation of the educated. At the beginning of a 
word it serves to show etymology. 

N. B. As for the distinction made, by grammarians, between 
aspirate h and mute h, see Xo. 53. 

J (/) in French constantly takes the accidental sound 
of the English z, as heard in the word azure ; or, which 
is the same, that of s, as heard in the English words 
measure, leisure, vision. 

Th (th) in French constantly takes the hard sound 
of t. 

X. B. The English sound of th is not found in the French 
tongue. 

W (w) constantly sounds like v in English. 

3. There are several letters, which sometimes resemble 
in sound, sometimes differ from the English. For 
instance : — 

C (c) before e, i, y, never takes the sound as heard 
in the English words ocean, precious, but constantly the 
hissing sound, as heard in the English words face, city. 

Ch (ch) in French never takes the sound as heard in 
the English word church ; but generally the one as heard 
in the English — machine. 



6 PRONUNCIATION OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE. 

Before a letter different from e, i 9 y, h, or at the end 
of a word, the French c constantly takes, as in English, 
the hard sound, equivalent to k. 

G (g) before e, i, y, never takes any of the sounds 
as heard in the English words gem, gin, gymnastic, get, 
give; but constantly the sound of the French j. 

Before a letter different from e, i, y, n, or at the end 
of a word, g constantly takes the hard, guttural sound, 
as heard in the English words — go, big, 

S (s) never takes the sounds as heard in the English 
words measure, sugar. The French s, between two 
vowels, takes, with few exceptions, the soft sound, as 
heard in the English word easy. This soft sound of s 
takes also place before the consonants b, d, g, h, v. In 
all other positions the French s takes the sharp, hissing 
sound, as heard in the English words so, us, sister. 
Double s constantly takes the sound, as heard in the 
English word essay ; never the one, as heard in the Eng- 
lish words, pression, assurance. 

T (t) before i never takes the sound, as heard in the 
English words nation, partial ; *but before a letter differ- 
ent from i, or at the end of a word, it takes the hard 
sound, as heard in the English words — to, not, pity. 

X (#) never takes the sound as heard in the English 
word complexion ; but in words beginning with exa, exe, 
exi, exo, exu, exh, it takes, as in English, the sound of 
gz. In all other positions the French x takes, with 
some exceptions, the sound of Jcs. 

Z (z) in French never takes the sound as heard in 

the English word azure; but always the one as heard in 

»the English word zone ; excepting, however, a few proper 

names ending with ez, etz, in which final z sounds like 

sharp s, as heard in the English word — us. 

4. Three letters (I, m 9 n,) which have each one 
uniform sound in English, have each two sounds in 
French. At the beginning of a word they constantly 
sound as in English. 

L (/), when single and in the middle of a word, 
sounds as in English. 



PRONUNCIATION OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE. 7 

Final / and 11, preceded by a letter different from i, 
constantly sound as in English. 

M (m) , before a letter different from b and p, sounds, 
with few exceptions, as in English. 

Final in and double m generally sound as in English. 

N (n) before a rowel constantly sounds as in Eng- 
lish. Before h and n it sounds, with some exceptions, 
as'in English. Before a consonant different from h and 
n 9 it takes a nasal articulation, peculiar to the French 
tongue. 

5. The only letters, which constantly sound alike in 
both languages, are 

B, D, F, K, P, Ph, Q, R, Rh, V. 
b, d, f, k, p, ph, q, r,(*) rh, v. 

* Mark, however, that r at the end of a word or before a con- 
sonant, sounds much more distinctly in French than in English. 

DIVISION OF WORDS INTO SYLLABLES. 

6. Definitions : A monosyllable is a word pronounced 
by a single emission of the voice, provided it does not 
end with a silent e, preceded by. a consonant. Such are 

a ma mal malt mast 

ou^ cou cour court ours 

When a word contains two or more vowels, pronounced 
separately or separated from one another by consonants, 
it takes the general name of polysyllable, which means 
in Greek a word of several syllables. Hence a syllable 
is a part of a word, pronounced by a single emission of 
the voice. 

When an assemblage of two consonants, placed 
between two vowels, belongs to one and the same sylla- 
ble, it is called an inseparable combination. Such are 
bl, cl, fl, gl, pi, dr, vr, 
br, cr, fr, gr, pr, tr, gn. 

7. Rule I : Any consonant (simple or compound) dif- 
ferent from x, when single and placed between tw r o 
vowels, belongs to the same syllable with the latter 
vowel. 



8 PRONUNCIATION OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE. 

Examples : animal, divide thus, a-ni-mal. 

monopole, '• mo-no-po-le. 

Except : En, at the beginning of a word, forms a syllable by itself. 

Rule II : An inseparable combination of consonants, 
between two vowels, belongs to the same syllable with 
the latter vowel. 

Examples : vignoble, divide thus, vi-gno-ble. 

ivrogne, " i-vro-gne. 

Exception : In a few particular words, such as agnns, ignicole, 
the gn is to be separated thus, ag-nns, ig-ni-co-le. 

Rule III : Any assemblage of two consonants differ- 
ent from ch, ph, rh, tk, and the inseparable combinations 
above quoted, must be separated, when found between 
two vowels. — Double consonants must be separated. 

Examples : respectable, divide thus, res-pec-ta-ble. 

annexion, " an-nex-ion. (*) 

* As x stands for a separable assemblage Qcs or gz), it cannot be 
separated from the vowel, by which it is preceded. 

Rule IV : When three or four consonants meet be- 
tween two vowels, they never belong to the same 
syllable. 

N". B. This syllabic decomposition of words, without regard to 
derivation, is merely intended to facilitate the exposition of the rules 
concerning pronunciation. 

TONIC ACCENT OR STRESS. 

8. In pronouncing a word of more than one syllable, the French 
pass smoothly over each syllable, and throw the stress of the voice 
on either the last syllable or the last but one, according to the fol- 
lowing rules : ■ — 

1st. When a polysyllable ends with a sounded consonant, 
such as animal, colonel, the stress lies on the last syllable, thus 
animal, colonel, 

2d. If a word ends with a mute e, preceded by a consonant, such 
as capitate, apostrophe, the stress lies on the last syllable but one ; 
thus, capitate, apostrophe, 

3d. When a word ends with a mute e, preceded by a vowel, such 
as Marie, the stress lies on that vowel, thus Mai\e, 

4th. When a word ends with a dipthong, i. e. two vowel sounds 
pronounced in the same breath, such as Maria, the stress lies on 
the last syllable but one, thus Maria, 

5th. When a word ends with a silent consonant, preceded by a 
vowel different from e, such as apostat, commissariat, the stress 
lies on the vowel, which precedes the final consonant ; thus, apostat, 
commissariat. 



CHAPTEK l 



PRONUNCIATION OF THE VOWELS. 





§ I- 


SIMPLE 


VOWELS. 


A 


E 


I 





U Y 


a 


e 


1 





» y 


ah 


a 


e 





* ee greek 



THEIR 



* The French name of u is a sound, which cannot be conveyed 
by any combination of English letters, and must be learned from 
the lips of a living teacher. 

N. B. In French as in English, vowels are sometimes long, 
sometimes short. Long vowels in French are frequently marked 
over with a~circumflex accent ( A ). 

A and O. 

9. These two vowels are of the same nature. When 
unaccented and at the end of a syllable, or in conjunc- 
tion with a consonant following, they are generally 
short. 

10. Short a in French constantly takes the sound as 
heard in the English word — rather. Examples : 



fa 


fat 


raf 


abab 


la 


lac 


cap 


jalap 


sa 


sac 


Dax 


Ajax 


va 


val 


rapt 


naval 


ta 


tact 


laps 


hamac 


ma 


mat 


malt 


Bagdad 


ha! 


Ham 


spath 


Abraham 



10 PKONUNCIATION OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE. 



11. Short o sounds like the English u, as heard in the 
words rub, mud, rum, fun, dull. Examples : 



dot 

roc 

lof 

col 

coq 

Job 



coco 

solo 

dodo 

sofa 

colza 

comma 



Azof 

azoth 

Jacob 

Maroc 

Mogol 

Prado 



lavabo 

albora 

alcohol 

caracol 

caporal 

panorama 



Exception : Mark, as so many exceptions to the pre- 
ceding rule, the terminations 
art 



ar ard 
as 



ase 



ars 
aze 



age 



are 
ave 



arre 
avre 



arrhe 
abre 



ation 



glish verb - 


— are. 


car 


lard 


par 


dard 


art 


jarre 


part 


barre 


gars 


carre 



in which the vowel a is long and takes the sound, as 

heard in the English words — far, father. 

Mark, moreover, that the final consonants d, s and t 

are silent after r, and that the terminations, contained in 

the first line, sound all alike and resemble in sound the 
Examples : 

bazar avare 

hasard am arre 

bavard Navarre 

canard camarre 

cafard catarrhe 

13. Unaccented o is long in the same positions with 
unaccented a, excepting, however, the termination obre, 
in which o is short. 

Long o takes the sound as heard in the English words 
home, stone, dole, sore. Examples : 

or nord abord rapport 

cor port alors matador 

tort mors accord Labrador 

Rem. The French r, before a sounded consonant, 
shortens the vowel by which it is preceded. Examples : 
arc Marmara dorsal 

pare carnaval normal 

14. Exception II : The vowels a and o have each an 
accidental sound in the terminations ague and ogne, 



PRONUNCIATION OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE. 11 

which come pretty near the sounds of the English ter- 
minations ang and oing, as heard in the words hang, 
going. Examples : 

bagne Ascagne cocagne 

gagne Polos;ne charogne 

trogne Cologne Gascogne 

Rem. the vowels a and o preserve their usual sounds before gn, 
when followed by a vowel different from silent e ; in which case the 
gn takes the sound, as heard in the English word — mignonette. 

Examples : cognac, cagnard, grognard. 

15. The vowels a and o preserve their usual sounds 
before final n, but are to be pronounced through the 
nose, and the n loses the sound it has in English. Ex- 
amples : 

an ban tan Man ortolan 

on bon ton mon carafon 

These nasal sounds, peculiar to the French tongue, can only be 
learned from the mouth of a native of France. 

Mute E. 

16. Unaccented e, at the end of a syllable, never 
takes the sound as heard in the English words be, evil, 
apostrophe, but is either entirely silent, or hardly heard 
when sounded. In either case it is called mute. 

As a rule, mute e is silent, whenever it can be dropped 
in the pronunciation of a word. 

Examples : pclote, appcla, calebasse. 
Pronounce, plot, appla, calbass. 

examples of silent e and short a. 



date 


datte 


ao;ate 


astragale 


cane 


canne 


arabe 


caravane 


gale 


balle 


agrafe 


cataracte 


pape 


trappe 


parade 


camarade 


face 


masse 


rafale 


parallaxe 


tache 


chaste 


cabane 


amalgame 


Saxe 


naphte 


s at rape 


paragraphe 


lame 


gamme 


madame 


anagramme 



12 PRONUNCIATION OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE. 



EXAMPLES OF SILENT e AND SHORT 0. 


note 


cotte arome 


octogone 


robe 


goffe capote 


protocole 


noce 


golfe galope 


monotone 


boxe 


colle parole 


monopole 


poche 


nonne corolle 


monopode 


poste 


crosse colonne 


horoscope 


mode 


choppe colosse 


orthodoxe 


Rome 


homme commode 


apostrophe 


SILENT e IN THE MIDDLE 


OF WORDS. 


cela 


cheval 


matelote 


sera 


genope 


camelote 


fera 


menace 


casemate 


jeton 


menotte 


casserole 


selon 


acheta 


paperasse 


melon 


attela 


hallebarde 


chenal 


alezan 


Allemagne 



• 17. When mute e cannot be dropped in the pronun- 
ciation of a word, it takes the dull sound of the Eng- 
lish e, as heard in the word battery ; or, which is the 
same, the sound of the English a, as heard in the word 
idea. 

Examples : grenade, crevasse, Bretagne. 

Pronounce, gre-nad, cre-vass, Bre-tang. 

Rem. Final e mute, after an inseparable combination 
of consonants, is sounded, unless followed by a word 
which begins with a vowel or h mute. 

Mark, moreover, that the final syllables ble, bre, cle, 
ere, etc., are not pronounced alike in both languages. 

In French the mute e is heard after the combined con- 
sonants bl, br, etc. 

EXAMPLES OF SOUNDED e MUTE. 



ne 


brelan 


affable 


rabattre 


J e 


octobre 


cadavre 


cadastre 


te 


Grenoble 


Calabre 


balafre 


le 


opprobre 


Hanovre 


obstacle 



me malpropre adorable massacre 



PRONUNCIATION OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE. 



13 



Open E. 

18. The French e, when pronounced conjunctly with 
a consonant following, never takes the dull sound, as 
heard in the English words camel, item, linen, water, 
hamlet, but generally the plain sound, as heard in the 
English word — hotel. 

This sound of e has been termed open, as it is pro- 
nounced with the mouth almost open. It takes place in 
the following positions : — 

1st. Before any final consonant, when sounded (ex- 
cepting the words cet, en, and the termination en, when 
preceded by a vowel) . Examples : — 



bee 


avec 


sec 


oleb 


net 
sel 


Alep 
amen 


nef 
chef 


appel 
harem 



cartel 

pastel 

pollen 

gramen 

scalpel 

caramel 



Babel 
Caleb 
Alfred 
Joseph 
Hamlet 
Harlem 

2d. Before x, wheresoever placed, and 
3d. Before any separable assemblage of consonants, 
which does not begin with either m or n ; excepting the 
only word mestre. Examples : — 
secte delta 

peste nectar 

Beige adepte 

texte vestale 

4th. Before a double consonant, 
nn, rr, ss. Examples : — 

dette gazette 

selle gazelle 

pelle semelle 

greffe bretelle 

lettre admettre 

5th. Before any double consonant, when followed by 

final e mute ; excepting the word femme (woman). Ex : 

esse renne terre (*) caresse 

messe leinme verre garenne 

presse gemme serre tonnerre 

* Rem. Open E is long in the terminations erre, erd, 

ers, ert, all of which sound like the English word — ere. 



pectoral 
espagnol 
heptagone 
respectable 
different from mm, 

sellette 

peccable 

betterave 

belladone 

regrettable 



14 PRONUNCIATION OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE. 

This long open sound of e takes also place before final 
r, when sounded ; as is the case in monosyllables. Ex : 
fer mer vers expert 

ver cher vert travers 

Rem. II. Before a sounded consonant, the French er 
takes a short but plain, open sound, very different from 
the dull sound of the English er, as heard in the words 
verb, mercy, liberty. Examples : — 



perte 


adverbe 


cervelle 


perle 


cavern e 


servage 


ferine 


serpette 


paternel 


Berne 


perplexe 


fraternel 


tertre 


thermal 


serbocal 



19. The open sound of e takes also place in all mono- 
syllables ending with es, and in all words ending with 
et, excepting the words et and cet. 

N". B. The final consonants s and t are silent after e, except in 
the words cet, net, fret, tacet. Examples : — 



es 
ces 


les 

ses 


ballet 
cachet 


parapet 
cabaret 


des 
mes 


tes 
jet 


projet 
archet 


alphabet 
serpolet 



N. B. Mark that in monosyllables of this description, the e takes 
easily the sound of ay, as heard in the English words may, day. 

Close E. 

20. In contradistinction to open c, the French have 
close e, thus called from its being pronounced with a 
lesser opening of the mouth. 

Close e sounds like the English ay, as heard in the 
word day ; or, which is the same, like a, as heard in the 
English words — navy, lazy. 

It constantly takes place before a final consonant, when 
silent and different from s and t. 

Examples : eh ! clef rez parler 
Pronounce, ay clay ray parlay 

Rem. I. Final z is always silent after e, except in proper names. 
Ex : nez (nose) allez (go) parlez (speak) 

chez (at the house of ) venez (come) donnez (give) 
Rem. II. Final r is silent, 1st, in all verbs ending, in the infin- 
itive mood, with er. Examples : — 

alter (to go) parler (to speak) donner (to give) 



I 



PRONUNCIATION OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE. 15 

2d. In all words ending with er, preceded by a vowel, excepting 
hier (yesterday), fier (proud) ; and 3d, in nearly all words of more 
than one syllable ending with er, preceded by a consonant ; except- 
ing proper names of foreign languages. 

21. The close sound of e is generally found before 
double r, when followed by a vowel different from mute 
e, and in most words beginning with eff, ess, dess. Ex : 

ferrer serrer dessert effacer 

Close e is also found in the words et, mestre, message?', 
messieurs. 

Accidental Sound of E. 

22. In all adverbs ending with eminent, the e takes the sound of 
the French a. 

F les \f ervemmm t (fervently) pronounce fervamman 

V ) ardemment (with ardor) " ardamman 

This accidental sound of e takes also place before mm, mn and 
nn in the following words and their derivatives : — 

nenni hennir rouennerie 

femme solennel indemniser 

23. In all verbs beginning with emm, enn, and their derivatives, 
the initial syllables em and en take a nasal sound equivalent to an. 

Example : emmarer pronounce an-marer 

Rem. In all cases different from those just mentioned, the e 
takes its usual open sound before mm, mn and nn. 

Examples : Emma, Lemnos, pennage, Agamemnon. 

1(0. 

24. The French i never takes any of the sounds as 
heard in the English words lime, sign, sir, sit; but gen- 
erally the sound of the English e, as heard in the words 
be, he. 

EXAMPLES OF SHORT I. 



pic 


vice 


nxe 


cilice 


cid 


fiche 


griffe 


Sicile 


vif 


pipe 


titre 


livide 


vil 


file 


fifre 


divine 


vis 


frite 


triple 


limite 


fisc 


bride 


chiffre 


victime 


brick 

• 


mine 


siffle 


Philippe 



strict 



crime 



philtre 



chimiste 



16 PRONUNCIATION OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE. 
EXAMPLES OF LONG i. 



tir 


tige 


crise 


Adige 


lire 


rive 


brize 


cerise 


dire 


libre 


nadir 


valise 


cirrhe 


livre 


polir 


salive 



25. The French ie, when pronounced conjunctly with 
a consonant following, never takes the sound, as h$ard 
in the English words grief, field; but that of the Eng- 
lish ye, as heard in the words yes, yet, yell. Examples : 



ciel 


grief 


vielle 


Dieppe 


fiel 


brief 


sieste 


Vienne 


fief 


relief 


miette 


chienne 


fier 


Daniel 


pierre 


assiette 


hier 


Gabriel 


lierre 


Italienne 


miel 


officiel 


lierne 


triennal 



Rem. I. The individual sound of i is lost in the combinations ai, 
ei, oi. (See p. 18, No. 32.) 

Rem. II. The vowel i has no accidental sound, but before mb, 
mp it forms, together with m, a nasal sound ; which comes 
pretty near the English sound of am, as heard in the word sample. 
Examples : — 

limbe simple timbre 

This sound of i takes constantly place before n, unless followed 
by h, n, or a vowel. Examples : — 

fin brin Inde mince infini 

u. 

26. This vowel loses its individual sound in the com- 
binations au, eu, on. (Seep. 18, No. 32.) 

Before final n, it forms a nasal sound, little different 
from the one represented by the French in. Ex : 
un brun alun chacun tribun 

27. U before final m is a substitute for short o, and 
consequently sounds like the English u in the word rum. 

Ex : album lilium minimum 

forum opium palladium 

sternum sodium potassium 

Exc : The word parfum (perfume) sounds as if wvittei^parfun. 



PRONUNCIATION OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE. 17 

28. Between g and a, the French u takes the sound 
of the English u, as heard in the word — guano. Ex : 

guano jaguar lingual Guatimala 

Exception : In all terminations of a verb ending, in the infin- 
itive mood, with guer, the u is silent ; with the exception of arguer, 
in which the gu forms a distinct syllable. 

When u is found between g and a vowel different 
from a, it is generally silent, and serves to give ^ the 
hard, guttural sound, as heard in the English words 
guess, 'guilt. Examples : — 

guise guitare aguerrir 

guide guildive guinguette 

guerre droguiste Marguerite 

Rem. Mark here the difference, in sound, between the 
final syllables ge and gue, as heard in the following 
examples : — 

orge doge verge prodige 

orgue dogue vergue prodigue 

29. The vowel u is generally silent after q. 
Examples : quel quart quere/le quiproquo 
Pronounce kel kar krell kiproko 

When u is sounded, by exception, between q and a, 
as is the case in nearly all w r ords beginning with aqua, 
equa, quadr, it takes the sound of the English u, as 
heard in the word quality. Examples : — 

aquatique aquatite aquarelle quadrijlore 

30. Iniany position different from those above men- 
tioned, the French u takes a sound, which is not found 



in English. 










EXAMPLES 


OF SHORT 


u. 


tuf 


rude 


lutte 


curule ^ 


nul 


lune 


bulle 


cupule 


sue 


luxe 


truffe 


jujube 


sud 


puce 


huppe 


pustule 


lutfa 


cube 


cruche 


culbute 


brut 


dupe 


Prusse 


tumulte 


Turc 


chute 


nuque 


guttural 


muse 


rhume 


brusque 


tubercule 



18 PRONUNCIATION OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE. 

Y. 

31. The French y, when unconnected with a vowel 
preceding, stands fori, and is especially found in words 
derived from the Greek language ; hence its name i 
grec (Greek i) . Examples : — 

type pyrite pyramide 

style idylle polyglotte 

cycle sibylle sycomore 

Styx polype synonyme 

myrte syllabe hypocrite 

crypte synode apocryphe 

cygne(*) sylphide hydrophobe 

* Bear in mind that final gne in French sounds like final ng in 
English. 

§ 2. COMPOUND VOWELS. 

32. A compound vowel is a combination of two or 
three simple vowels, which together represent a simple 
sound. Such are 

ai au eau oz 

ei eu ecu on 

33. Ai and ei are substitutes for e, except before //, 
final /, and the consonants m and /i, when nasal. 

The usual sound of ai and ei is that of open e. 
Examples. : laisse faite Leipsic Manheim 
Pronounce lesse fette Lepsic Manem 





EXERCISES. 


* 


mai 


air neige 


raifort 


quai 


aire reine 


reinette 


vrai 


aise seize 


baleine 


kit(*) 


aide seigle 


vinaigre 


Md 


aime treize 


vaisselle 


paix 


aiore meio;le 


Sardaigne 


mais 


glaive bleime 


commissaire 



* The final consonants d, s, t and x are silent after compound 
vowels. 

Exception: Ai and ei take the sound of close e, 1st, before gn, 
when followed by a vowel different from e mute. Examples : — 
beignet peigner baigner 



PRONUNCIATION OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE. 19 

2d. At the beginning of a word, when the next syllable con- 
tains a vowel different from mute e and silent u. Examples : — 
aigu aider aigrette aisselle 

aigri aimer aimable aiguade 

3d. In the words gai (cheerful), je sais (I know), and at the 
end of a verb, as in je donnai (I gave),,/e serai (I shall be). 

Exception II. Ai takes the sound of e mute, in the first syllable 
of the imperfect (}e)faisais, and also in the words faisons, faisant, 
and compounds ending with faisant. 

Examples : malfaisant satisfaisant 
Pronounce malfesan satisfesan 

34. Au and eau sound alike and are substitutes for o. 

Examples : Paul sauf saur taureau 

Pronounce Pol sof sor toro 

EXERCISES. 



eau 


nigaud 


haut 


vaisseau 


beau 


badaud 


saut 


blaireau 


peau 


crapaud 


faux 


berceau 


veau 


maraud 


chaux 


morceau 



35. Eu and oeu sound alike. When short they sound 

like the English u in the words snuff, shun, purse. Ex : 

oeuf seul peuple 

neuf seule Elbeuf 

veuf jeune meurtre 

_ boeuf gueule heurter 

Eu and eeu, when long, have no corresponding sound 

in English, excepting, however, the terminations eur, 

eure, eurre, oeur, all of which come pretty near the sound 

of the English ur, as heard in the word — cur. Ex : 

peur heure labeur liqueur 

coeur leurre babeure vigueur 

soeur beurre demeure largeur 

Eu and ceu, before a silent consonant or at the end of 
a word, have no corresponding sound in English. Ex- 
amples : — peu feu vceu nceud deux peut 

N. B. Eu has an accidental sound equivalent to the French u in 
the words gageure, mangeure, at the beginning of a few proper 
names, and in such tenses and persons of the verb avoir, as begin 
with eu, including the past participle eu. 

Rem. E and u form two distinct syllables in the word — 
te-deum. 



20 PRONUNCIATION OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE. 

36. (E before a consonant or a vowel different from 
u and i, sounds like close e, Examples : — 

foetus cesophage cenomel homwopathique 

Rem. When o and e are separated in type, they are to be pro- 
nounced separately. Ex: moelle coexister. 
Pronounce, mo-elle co-exister. 

37. Ou has one unvaried sound equivalent to the 
English oo, as heard in — too, good. 

EXAMPLES OF SHORT OU. 

cou coude poutre joujou 

fou foule couple coucou 

pou pouce soufre redoute 

sou soupe souffre soucoupe 

mou mouche souffle courroux 

trou trousse pourpre trousseau 

§ 3. DIPHTHONGS. 

38. When two distinct vowel sounds are pronounced 
by a single emission of the voice, they form together 
what has been termed a diphthong. Such are . 

ie, as heard in fiel, fief, fier. 
ua, " in guano, aquatile. 

Rem. The sound of ua as heard in guano, when found 
after a consonant different from g and q, or at the begin- 
ning of a word, is represented sometimes by oua, some- 
times by oi, never by ua, because after a consonant 
different from g and q, the ua sounds differently from 
what it does in the word guano. Examples : — 
coite boiteux moine doive 

ouate ouateux douane zouave 

39. The combination oi generally sounds like oua, 
and is long and short in the same positions with a. Ex : 



loi 


toile 


noir 


paroi 


roi 


droite 


poire 


Poitou 


moi 


froide 


noise 


oiseau 


soif 


coiffe 


boive 


pivoine 


poil 


froisse 


poivre 


paroisse 



Exception. The nasal diphthong oin differs from ouan, and is to 
be decomposed thus, o-in, which some pronounce ou-in. Ex : 
loin foin coin soin besoin 



PRONUNCIATION OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE. 21 

Exception II. Oi stands for o in oignon, moignon, and in all 
words having poign for root, such as poignet, poignard, etc. 

Rem. In all words different from those just mentioned, oi before 
gn preserves the sound of ona, and as a has an accidental sound 
before final gne, so has oi in a like position. 



Examples : 
Pronounce 



soigner soigaeux soigne 
souagmer souagneux souagne 



40. All French diphthongs, excepting oi, are formed 
by placing i, ou, u, y before other vowels, in which case 
i and y take the sound of the English y as heard in you, 
yard, and ou takes that of the English w as heard in 
west, akward. Examples : — 



fiole 
liane 
rieur 


paria 

papier 

vitriol 


oui 

ouest 

fouine 


yole 

yeux 

hyade 


piano 
violer 
piafFer 


afioume 

fabliau 

glacial 


joueur 

noueux 

brouette 


yeuse 

myope 

yolithe 


miauler 


gracieux 


trouelle 


cyanure 


chiourme 


plagiaire 


prouesse 


dyadique 



Rem. The French u before a vowel, aside from the 
combinations gua and qua, takes its usual sound, which 
sound, as has been observed already, cannot be conveyed 
by any combination of English letters. Mark here the 
difference in sound between u and ou, as illustrated in 
the following examples. 

fuir lueur ruelle suave 

fouir loueur rouelle zouave 



EXERCISES. 

duel gluau fuite mutuel 

cruel gruau huile virtuel 

muet muette ruine annuaire 

fluet bluette fluide immuable 

41. When y is found after o or u, it stands for two 
i's, one of which forms a diphthong with the vowel pre- 
ceding, and the other, with the vowel following. 
Examples : loyal moycnne fuyard 
Pronounce, loi-ial moi-ienne fui-iard 



22 PRONUNCIATION OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE. 





EXERCISES. 




tuyau 


noyer 


essuyer 


Savoyard 


joyau 


voyez 


nettoyer 


royaliste 


boyau 


fuyez 


appuyer 


pitoyable 


noyau 


joyeux 


voyager 


corroyeur 


aloyau 


voyelle 


tutoyer 


pourvoyeur 



42. Ay and ey before a vowel different from e mute, 
sound alike, and take the sound of a close e followed by 
t. Examples : — 

payer essayer balayeur rayonner 

seyer grasseyer agreyeur asseyez-vous 

Kem. I. Ay takes the same sound in the words ab- 
baye, paye, paysan, jmysage, etc. In all other words ay 
before mute e or a consonant sounds like close e. Ex- 
amples : — P a y e l a y e layetier 

N. B. Mark the difference, in sound, between the preceding 
words and the following, in which the ai sounds like open e: — 
paix laie laitier 

Rem. II. In a few particular words, especially proper 
names, containing ay followed by a vowel, the a ends 
one syllable and the y begins the next. 

Examples : Bayard Cayenne Lafayette 

Pronounce, Ba-yard Ca-yenne Lafa-yette 

Rem. III. When ay and ey are found at the end of a 
eyllable they sound like close e. Examples : — 
bey dey Ney Jersey Corday 

§ 4. REMARKS ON THE NASAL SOUNDS. 

43. The consonants m and n, in certain positions, are said to be 
nasal, because they serve to indicate that the vowels by which they 
are preceded, are to be prorounced through the nose. And as the 
consonants m andn, after nasalized vowels, lose their usual sounds, 
nasal expressions, such as an, on, etc., can strictly be considered 
as vowels. 

N. B. The usual sounds of a and o are preserved in the nasal 
sounds an and on ; but the nasal sounds in and un have no similarity 
whatever with the proper sounds of i and u. 

44. The consonant n, after a vowel, is nasal in the 
following positions : — 

1st. At the end of a word, excepting the termination 
en, when preceded by a consonant. 



Inde 


lundi 


onde 


candi 


onze 
honte 


pantin 
ponton 


pince 
angle 


chanson 
Finlande 


oncle 


flandrin 



PRONUNCIATION OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE. 23 

2d. In all verbs beginning with enh, enn, and their 
derivatives, and also in the two verbs enivrer, cnor gueillir , 
and their derivatives. 

3d. Before any consonant different from h and n, 
excepting the only word monsieur, which sounds as if 
written — mossieu. Examples : — 

intestin gant (*) 

girondin long 

pantalon banc 

fantassin dans 
confession sang 
mandarin grand 
instinctif sphinx 
* Final consonants different from x are generally silent after n. 

45. There are only four different nasal sounds, but 
there are many more nasal expressions. For instance : 
Ain, ein and yn are substitutes tor in. Examples : — 

sain saint poulain atteinte 

sein seing syntaxe peinture 

vain lynx lyngode vainqueur 

main maint pharynx syndical 

plein plains saindoux maintenant 

46. Eun is a substitute for un, but it only occurs in 
the expression a jam. 

47. Nasal en sounds sometimes like an, sometimes 
like in. It sounds like an — 

1st. In the word en. 

2d. At the beo-innino; of a word. 

Examples : enfin enhardlr cnnvyer 
Pronounce, an-fin an-hardir an-nuyer 

3d. Between two consonants. 

Examples : hareng encens sentiment 
Pronounce, haran ansan santiman 

4th. In the expression ien, when followed by a con- 
sonant different from n. 

Examples t Jiente orient audience 
Pronounce, fiante orian audiance 

Exception I : In the termination ent, denoting the third person 
plural of a verb, the e is mute and final nt silent. 



24 PRONUNCIATION OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE. 

Exc. II : En sounds like in, 1st, in the words 

Mentor agenda Benjamin 

pensum Rubens pentarque 

Bengale Amiens pentagone 

2d. In those tenses of the verbs tenir, venir, and their com- 
pounds, retenir, etc., where the roots of said verbs are changed 
into tien, vien; as, 

je tiens je tiendrai reviens 

il vient il viendra maintiens 

3d. In compounds and derivatives of words ending with ien, 
such as 

b ienfait b ienv enu cMendent 

48. Final en preceded by a vowel, sounds like in, 
excepting the two proper names Caen and Rouen, which 
sound as if written Can, Ruuan. Examples : — 

bien doyen ancien citoyen 

chien moyen Adrien mitoyen 

Rem. I. There is no nasal sound in chienne, citoyenne, ils tien- 
nent, moyennant, ennemi. Enn is only, nasal at the beginning of 
verbs and their derivatives. 

Rem. II. Final en is not nasal after a consonant, excepting, 
however, the two words hymen and examen, which are pro- 
nounced, by some, as if written Jtymin, examin. 

49. The letter n is never found before b and p, except 
in the two words bonbon, embonpoint ; but m before 6 and 
p is a substitute for nasal n. 

Examples : camp plomb nymphe 

Pronounce, can (*) plon (*) nynfe 

* The final consonants b and p are silent after m, excepting the 
only word rumb, which sounds as if written — rombe. 

50. Initial em is nasal in all verbs beginning with emm 
and their derivatives, but not in other words, such as 
Emmanuel, for instance : — 

Nasal em constantly sounds like an, excepting the 
proper name Memphis, which sounds as if written — 
Minfiss. Examples : — 

empire emphatique emmancher 

embryon tremblement emmariner 

ensemble exemplaire emmagasiner 

51. Before a consonant different from b, p, or at the 



PRONUNCIATION OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE. 25 

end of a word, m is occasionally nasal ; such is the case 

in the following words : — 

/aim thym nom comte 

daim Adam renom Rheirns 

essaim parfum pronom, Samson 

LINKING % OF FINAL 71. 

52. When an adjective ending with nasal n is followed 
by a substantive beginning with a vowel, an additional n 
is heard at the beginning of the substantive. Ex : 

bon ami *"| fbon nami 

vain espoir I -r» J vain nespoir 

1 r > Pronounce < L r . 

aucun enfant j aucun nentant 

commun accord J l^commun naccord 

Any word beginning with a vowel (excepting onze) , 
takes this additional n, 1st, after the words mon, ton, 
son ; 2d, after bien and rien, unless used as substantives ; 
3d, after on and en, unless joined by a hyphen to a pre- 
ceding word. Examples : — 

mon ancien ami en aura bien entendu 

mon nancien nami en naura bien nentendu 

Rem. The word un before a substantive or adjective beginning 
with a vowel, is pronounced, by some, without a nasal articulation, 
as if a part of the next "word. Example : — 

un an (a year), pronounce unan (u-nan.) 

53. The linking of final n takes also place before 
certain words beginnino; witb A, in which case the h is 
said to be mute. 

Examples : en hirer bien habile tin homme 
Pronounce, en niver bien nabi-le u-nomme 
When final n is not to be linked before a word begin- 
ning with h, the h is called aspirate, although there be 
no real aspiration, as far as pronunciation is concerned. 
Examples : un liibou bien hardi 

Pronounce un ibou bien ardi 

Rem. The verb enivrer and its derivatives are to be pronounced 
with a nasal articulation, linked to the i, as if written in two words 
{en nivrer.) 

A similar remark applies to the verb enorgueillir. These two 
verbs are the only instances of a nasal n in the middle of a word 
before a vowel. 



26 PRONUNCIATION OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE. 

§ 5. ELISION OF FINAL 6 MUTE. 

54. When one of the monosyllables, de,je, le, me, ne, que, se, 
te, is followed by a word which begins with a vowel or a mute h, 
final e of said monosyllable is suppressed and replaced by an 
apostrophe. Examples : — 

Vami (the friend), for le ami. 

VJtomme (the man) , for le homme. 

qu'avez-vous ? (what have you ?) for que avez-vous ? 

This is what the French grammarians call elision. The elision 
takes also place, 1st, in the words qaoique, quelque, jusque, lorsque, 
presque, puisque. Examples : — 

quelqu'un (somebody), for quelque un. 
presquHle (peninsula), for presque-ile. 

2d. Occasionally in the preposition entre. Examples : — 
entr'acte entr'ouvrir entr* aider 

3d. In the pronoun ce (it) before en and est. 
Rem. The adjective ce (this) is changed into cet, before a vowel 
or mute h. (See page 27, No. 57, Rem.) 

55. In all words different from the few above mentioned, final e 
mute is never elided, although constantly silent before a vowel or 
h mute. 

Examples : libre arbitre notre ami quatre ans 
Pronounce, libr' arbitre notr' ami quatr' ans 

56. When final e mute is not elided in the monosyllables above 
quoted, it is sometimes silent, sometimes sounded, according to 
the following directions : — 

1st. When the monosyllable is found at the beginning or end of 
a sentence, final e mute is sounded. Examples : — 
Appelez-le. Be qui parlez-voust 

(Call him). (Of whom do you speak ?) 

Exception : Final e is always silent in the pronouns je and ce, 
when placed, as subjects, after their verbs. Examples : — 
Que dis-je ? (what do I say ?) pronounce que dige ? 
Que sera-eel- (what will it be ?) " que serace ? 

2d. When two or three such monosyllables meet at the begin- 
ning of a sentence, the e of the second is silent. Examples : — 
Je le sais (I know it), pronounce je Vsais. 
Je ne lepuis (I cannot), " jeri> lepuis. 

Exception I : When the second monosyllable and the next word 
begin both with the same letter, as inje te trouve, the e is sounded. 

Exc. II : Final e is never silent in the word que, wheresoever 
placed. 

3d. When a monosyllable different from que is found in 



PRONUNCIATION OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE. 27. 

the middle of a sentence, after a word ending with a nasal sound 
or a vowel sound, final e is silent. Examples : — 

eau-de-vie (brandy), pronounce eau-d^vie. 

chemin-de-fer (railroad) " cliemin-oVfer. 

quimedit? (who tells me ?) " qui-m'ditt 

Monsieur lemaire (Mister mayor), " Mossieu-Vmaire. 

§ 6. ADDITIONAL REMARKS ON e MtJTE. 

57. Unaccented e is mute in the following positions : 
1st. At the end of a syllable, excepting a few Latin 

expressions, such as veto, credo, etc., in which the e is 
close. 

2d. Before a and o, excepting Latin expressions, 
such as exeat, conftteor, etc., in which the e is close. 

3d. Before final s, in words of more than one syl- 
lable. Examples : Charles Jules Naples Londres 
Pronounce, Charl Jul Naple Londre 

4th. Before final nt, denoting the third person plural 
of a verb. Examples : elles chanlent (they sing) 

Pronounce like elle chante (she sings J 

5th. In nearly all words beginning with ress, and, 
finally, in the three words — dessous, dessus, cet. 

Rem. The word dessous (underneath) is composed of the two 
prepositions de and sous, and the doubling of the s in the com- 
pound is intended to preserve the sharp hissing sound of initial 5 
in sous. 

A similar remark applies to dessus and to words beginning with 
ress. These are composed of the particle re, prefixed to words 
beginning with a sharp hissing s. 

Examples : ressource ressortir ressaisir 
Composed of re-source re-sortir re-saisir 
As for the word cet (this), which is only found before a vowel or 
an h mute, it is ce, with a euphonic t added, to be linked to the 
next word. Examples : — 

cet arbre (this tree) stands for ce-t-arbre. 
cetJiomme (this man) " ce-t-Ttomme. 

58. Final e, when not elided,* should be sounded, for 
the sake of euphony, in the words quoique, quelque, 
presque, j usque, lorsque, puisque, and in que ; but in all 

other words ending with sque or Ique, final e is silent. Ex : 
basque fresque fantasque bourrasque 
casque risque burlesque arabesque 

flasque brisque grotesque pittoresque 
masque brusque moresque romanesque 
caique kiosque mollusque catafalque 



28 PRONUNCIATION OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE. 



geai 


asseoir 


rougeole 


flageolet 


Jean 


bougeoir 


rougeaud 


bourgeoisie 


George 


nageoire 


vengeance 


bourgeonner 


orgeat 


mangeable 


obligeant 


pigeonneau 



59. Mute e, before a and o, is constantly silent, and 
when preceded by g, it serves to give that letter the 
sound of the French j. Examples 

rougeole 
rougeaud 
vengeance 
3 obligeant 

60. Mute e is constantly silent in the terminations 
gne and gnement. Examples : — - 

digne enseigne dignement 

ligne empeigne alignement 

peigne Sardaigne enseignement 

When the syllable gne is followed by a syllable different from 
ment, the mute, e is sounded, and the gn takes the sound as heard 
in the English word — mignonette. Examples : — 

vigneron lignerolle ivrognerie 

61. When mute e is found in the middle of a word, 
after an inseparable combination of consonants different 
from gn, it is sounded. Examples : — 

ladrerie saugrenu levreteau 

sucrerie autrefois palefrenier 

jonglerie aigremore accoutrement 

62. When two mute e's are separated by a single 
consonant, the latter e is silent, and the former sounded. 



Examples : 
Pronounce, 


ensevelir 
en-se-vlir 

EXERCISES. 


marqueterie 
mar-ke-tri 


rejeter 
relever 


chevelu 
breveter 


ressemeler 
redemander 


retenir 
devenir 


greneler 
redevable 


papeterie (*) 
bonneterie 


derechef 


entretenir 


briqueterie 



* Notwithstanding the foregoing rule, laid down by the French 
Academy, the vulgar pronunciation of the words papeterie, bon- 
neterie, etc.; is paptri, bonntri, etc. 

63. Rem. When the words notre (our), voire (your), 
quatre (four), are followed by a word beginning with a 
consonant different from mute h, both e and r are silent. 



Examples : 
Pronounce, 



quatre fuis 
kat fois 



noire maison 
not maison 



(II \ PT I. B 1 l 



n I llh MARKS OJ lili. VOW] 



§ l« 



Lftt, in thu I in:ir f * 

from \v I I 

BQCfa ;i in irk plmoad 0T6T :i fOwd s 10 iodi 

|ier i (A. 

i the I * 

lin • • c. 

(i m in i. 

61. Th >\ t . 

and den. 

and. 



Exal 



: |!/< 









• 



gie 



i 



1 \ ! 

rtli 









impound vow. 
N iitouml the ?ouncl^ 

to be pronounced tin, eie, tio, 
ling to raj pies: — 



r in 



&und : 









agrteur, 



30 PRONUNCIATION OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE. 
V 

66. The grave accent is, with few exceptions, peculiar 
to the vowel e, and denotes open e. Open e is only 
accented in such positions, as would give unaccented 
e the mute sound. 

Examples : niece piece diete Xerxes 
Pronounce, niesse piesse diette Xerxesse 

N. B. In writing, without a grave accent, the pronunciation of 
niece, piece, would be the same as in English, and that of Xerxes 
would be Xerx, according to rule No. 57 — 3d. 

Rem. Final 5 after & is sounded in proper names* and silent in 
nearly all other words. Examples : — 

Ceres apr&s deces succes 

Narses cypres proces eongres 

Pericles aupres abces progres 

Rem. II. The vowel e is short, 1st, before the final syllables 
ce, che, cle,fle, gle, gne, gue, pe, que, te. 

2d. When followed, in the same word, by more than one syl- 
lable. Examples : — 

Grece espece nefle legerete 

, fleche caleche m trefle brievete 

regne duegne siecle severement 

begue collegue Seneque soulevement 

regie espiegle discrete parallelement 

, 67. The vowel e denotes open e long, and is found in 

such positions, as would render e short. 

fete eveque reverie pretre 

peche honnete pecherie vepres 

guepe conquete veternent fenetre 

Rem. The circumflex accent serves to denote long vowels, and 
is found over all vowels, excepting au, ei, y. 

Compound vowels and diphthongs, when accented, take the 
accent over the last component vowel, thus : ai, eu, ox, ou, id, etc, 

§ 2. REMARKS OX LONG AND SHORT VOWELS. 

68. A vowel is rendered long, 1st, by placing a mute 
e after it; 2d, by putting a circumflex accent over it, 
and doing away with the mute e. Examples : — 

gaiete (f ) gaiement duement denouement 
gaite (*) gaiment dument denoument 

f Ate in the middle of a word, constantly sounds like e long. 

* Ai constantly takes the sound of e, excepting the two words 
gaite, gaiment, in which it sounds like e long, as being a substitute 
for aie. 



(iUAOE. 











rat 






r t 


<]. \ oueinent 




ralliemenl 






m nt 


ciirciirincnt 






6DJOQ6I] 






-llrlihlit 



ngthof a to 

thoi t the a- inflex 

• fit or mote ( . 

I <• iv final - 

laf-l — 

iol . ilr baoi 

tune . he ran , 

autre id'* tan 

■ 

O, A3 hianl in tin u 

70. All rowels tre loi - die final sj Ual 
re, m re filial /\ when Bounded, 

— 
Liege 

louve roll. 

myrrhe 

re tni; - Mil ' ■ 

the wor ore), which pound 

nt i| 

I\ Intended :i- s mark of distinction. 
In the word bicfa wu formerly written piquure^ the « ar- 

eas! 

In the • rcomflex 

71. The vowel \ and its 01 and et, are 
rather long before the final syllables /<■, Re, ae. II 

the terminations cfe, a '■'> . / ne, aimi, eimi, He, etae f 

do not sound exactly lit •*, Examples: 

rele haine fidele haleine 

ae peine hygi&ne vflaine 

theme bleime probleme semaine 



32 PRONUNCIATION OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE. 



72. Any unaccented vowel different from ai,ei,au 9 
is short before the final syllables le, me, ne ; conse- 
quently when a long vowel occurs before final le,me,ne, 
recourse must be had to the circumflex accent. 

Examples of long and short vowels in similar posi- 
tions : — 

pale jeune Rome lame cane 
pale jeune dome blame crane 

EXERCISES. 

ile geole drole abime 

ane male dime infame 

cone soule manes aumone 

Exception : Unaccented a is long in the words reclame, hippo- 
potame, and ame, which latter word is also written time. « 

73. Before any final syllable different from those 
mentioned in No. 70 and 71, all unaccented vowels, ex- 
cepting au, are short, for which reason, long vowels in 
any of said positions must be marked over with a cir- 
pumflex accent. 

Examples of long and short vowels in similar posi- 
tions : — 



tdche 


faite 


notre matin 


coil 


tache 


faite 


noire matin 


cote 




EXERCISES. 




pate 


atre 


epitre 


baton 


gite 


acre 


apotre 


hotel 


hote 


apre 


debacle 


batard 


paque 


bafre 


douceatre 


chateau 


grace 


maitre 


rougeatre 


chatain 


lache 


goitre 


bleuatre 


train eau 


fraiche 


cloitre 


connaitre 


detrone 



Exceptions : Unaccented o is long in momie and the termination 
otion. Unaccented a is long in the termination ation and in the 
following words : — 

jadis . crabe lacer espacer 

espace cadre . cadrer accabler 

macon rafle rafler clameur 

74. When a long vowel is followed, in the same 
word, by more than one syllable, it always takes the 
circumflex accent ; because unaccented vowels, in a 
similar position, are always short. 



01 iii 



in I short \ i nmiku 

: — 

ire 



ire 
ure 

itigne 
blamable 



i \ 
leur 

i'lulcflMUt 
.-licit. I 



ne 

ml I 1 1 1 



I 
ciuiss<\ oMettf, ench&$$4, 

ati\r- 



lam 
hem 




h.ls^r-v,. 


latement 

bassetnent 


graftM 
OpaiiM 


graaaee 




graatetneot 

rj>.i|Nsi^«in<llt 


In tlic full 


raring 


: — 




tafJM 


tMM 








casser 
dii 


■ 


tomk 



I I 
flamme % dam< net. 

i. I. Nai 

I ; (qu'iJ ) 

. th A', the soand ind length of tin- initial i 
i »1 \ be k- 

. HI. S Bcially in 

. the arcnmnV indi- 

i the suppression i which is -till preserved in the 

_li>h WOrdl 11 the 

old French, 

... IV. Accented i Efferent from 4 9 ere i rand 

at the end of a word ; and when they do occur in thai position, 

they ire pronounced, m if onaocentad ; lh< terely 

intended as a mark of distinction. 
3* 



34 PRONUNCIATION OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE, 



For instance, the words a (at), la (there), %a (here), oil 
(where), du (due), cru (grown), tu, sound exactly like the words 
a (has), la (the), ca (that), ou (or), du (of the), cru (believed), 
and tu (thou). 

Add to these the words deja, hola, voila, P6, and they complete 
the list of all the words ending with an accented vowel different 
from e. 

Mark, moreover, that the grave accent over a and u is only 
found in the few words above quoted. 

§ 3. DIJERESIS. 

76. When i and u are marked over with a diaeresis 
(••), they are to be pronounced separately from the 
vowels a and 0, by which they are always preceded. 
Examples : hair Saul Mo'ise Achelous 
Pronounce, ha-ir, Sa-ul Mo-ise Akelo-us 



aieul 

coier 

laique 

stoique 

caiman 



EXERCISES. 

Haiti 



caraibe 
copai'er 
Ismail 
camaieu 



Heloise 

biscaien 

baionnette 

cristalloide 

coincidence 



paien 

boiard 

faience 

heroique 

mosaique 

77. The diaeresis is also found over e, in words ending 
with gue, and indicates that the u is to be sounded, but 
final e is silent. Examples : — 

eigne exigue ambigue 

aigu'e contigue besaigue 

N. B. In writing, without a diseresis, cigue, exigue, etc., the 
pronunciation of said words would be cig, exig. 

78. The diaeresis is occasionally found over e, when 
preceded by a or 0, as in Noel, Israel ; but there is no 
obvious reason for this mark in the examples quoted, as 
a and preserve their individual sounds before any vowel 
different from i, u, y. 

Examples : Chanaan Pharaon zoophyte moelleax 
Pronounce, Kana-an Phara-on zo-ophyte mo-elleux 

EXERCISES. 



boa 


Moab 


cloaque 


oolite 


aere 


Eaoul 


coasser 


zoologie 


cacao 


Roboam 


croasser 


zootomie 


croate 


Phaeton 


aerolithe 


epizootique 


casoar 


Zoroastre 


aeronaute 


extraordinaire 



M \«! | I II I. W 

: — 

rtlrr <; l <i't>/t>ur 

. aoriMe, 
ami o li lilenl 

n II. In 

\ - the dta 

ed. I am allud the cast iter 

g and q t aside from I 
The vowel I ind, 

'. In all tip 

( p 
Sdi In all d< tin* \v 

Mali a.- 

ami 

8d. In tip' foU : — 

i/tlujdr 

\U in. - rand "t' tii' -:i >r 

1m. In liquation, loquc 

iM. In all IfOnlfl Dg with </'y -,// , 

(except, however, tl . Inch 

al ) . 
3d. Between g and r/, excepting ve 

1 \ VMI'I 

quad/' , upe 

eqwUeur quadntpidt aqua-tinta 

tutorial quad/ ila/crc aquafique 

quadrature quadragesimal Guadalquivir 



CHAPTER III. 



PRONUNCIATION OF THE CONSONANTS. 



80. There are, in French as in English, a great 
many words containing silent consonants ; but the posi- 
tions in which silent consonants occur, are very different 
in both languages. For instance, in all words begin- 
ning with cz, gn, kn, ps, pt, phth, the initial consonants 
c, g*, k, p, ph, are silent in English and sounded in 
French. 

81. In French, initial consonants, different from A, 
are constantly sounded. Examples : — 

czar gnomon Ptolemee pseudonyme 
knout ptilose psalmodie knyphonisme 

psaume phthisie mwemonique psychologie 

82. Again, in French as in English, the plural of a substantive 
is generally formed by adding an s to the singular ; but this final 
s, which is constantly sounded in English, is constantly silent in 
French. 

83. As a rule, there is no difference in sound between 
the plural of a noun and its singular, provided there be 
no difference in orthography, aside from final s. Ex : 
cites (cities) sounds exactly like cite (city) • 
faces (faces) " " " face (face). 
fih (threads) " " " fil (thread). 
pares (parks) " " " pare (park). 
bouchers (butchers) " " " boucher (butcher). 

Exception : In the plural nouns ceufs, bceufs, nerfs, tehees, 
faits, the letters f, c, and t are silent, together with final s ; 
whereas f, c and t are sounded in the singular nouns, ceuf, bceuf, 
nerf tehee, fait. 

Rem. Singular nouns ending with s, x or z, remain unalterable 
in the plural ; these final consonants are generally silent ; but when 
sounded, by exception, in the singular, as is the case in fils (son), 
ours (bear), gaz (gas), p/Unix, etc., they are sounded in the 
plural also. 



37 
§ 1. tin \L ( 0H801 vn I BDBD R I 

ioded. Ei implefl : — 

lUt/t 

M n'irh it/i lath 

■ 

85. The final oon 

:■ all \ owels, limple and oompouncL 1 

/ . i 
rod I 

• in 

full.,,. e beginni] 

rent from h m i 

implet: weuf JUro* 

ctuj\ i»t in tb 

. The final ttm- 

ponnd \ and diphtb ; tha pi 

nan 

K\ mi: mrni 

Ptom ':''«' nini 

ial </ an I 1 after aim] 

ting, ho dar, reflux, 

I. XI 

cid gdad index 

rod ephbd Alfred prefix 

Styx talmud Madrid Pollux 

87. The final consonants mm! Z are irencrallv 

:it after all vowels, simple and compound; but 
eoially after compound vowels and diphthongs. 
Examples: drap trop viz lit dos chat 
Pronounce, dra tro ri li do cha 



38 PRONUNCIATION OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE. 
EXERCISES. 



repas 


etat 


coup acabit 


eouris 


habit 


loup avocat 


dispos 


tricot 


galop ananas 


camus 


debut 


sirop paradis 


dissous 


surtout 


beaucoup cantaloup 


eptlon: Fina 


p is sounded in cap, jalap, julep, and in 



proper names. 

Exception II. Final z is sounded in gaz, and in proper names 
ending with ez ; such as Rhodez, Suez, Natchez. 

Exception III. Final t is sounded in words borrowed from Latin 
verbs, such as exeat, deficit, preterit, accessit, tacet, etc., and also 
in the following words : — 

fat net sot lut rit granit occiput 
mat fret dot brut knout comput azimut 

N. B. Final t is sounded in the adverb soit (be it so), and in 
the substantive fait (fact) ; but in the past participle fait, and in 
soit, when conjunction or verb, final t is silent. 

Rem. Final t is sounded in the numeral huit, unless followed by 
a substantive or adjective beginning with a consonant different 
from h mute. 

Exception IV: Final s is sounded, 1st, in as, atlas, Mlas! and 
in all proper names ending with as ; excepting Judas, Thomas, 
Nicolas. 

2d. In florhs, profhs, aloes, hermhs, corths, and in all proper 
names ending with h. 

3d. In proper names of foreign languages ending with is and 
ys ; such as Paris, Adonis, Semiramis, la Lys, etc., and in the 
following words : — 

vis iris mats oasis 

lis (*) jadis metis cacis 

bis (*) lapis gratis tournevis 

* Final s is silent in the compound fleur-de-lis, and in the adjec- 
tive bis. 

4th. In pathos, rhinoceros, and in all proper names of foreign 
languages ending with os ; such as Minos, Athos, etc. 

5th. In all substantives of more than one syllable ending with 
us ; such as obus, virus, Venus, omnibus, etc., excepting, however, 
the substantives abus, talus, verjus. 

6th. In motus, sus, en-sus, plus (plus), and in plus (more), 
when immediately followed by que (than), or when at the end of a 
sentence which contains no negative word. Examples : — 
a plus b plus-que-Tpaxfa.it 

plus que vous j'en ai plus 

N. B. In all positions different from those just mentioned, final 
s is silent in plus. Examples : — 



noiJ UNCI rHI TBI 

BOO 

plu^ ii grand q 

nul <>i peeled, in • th a 

; a<t ill tin- >••: 

N . ! ; I 

-. m if the case b> i 
word* cvjr, Ifti BMt, '< •-*. «*'*• 1 — 

:iul / if .Hound i all 

different hroi 

mosrieu 

u th.it th( i. bj MMM 

eoeded 

— 

-:. In all IDOQ06] Hi nples : 

Id. In pr 

! — 
\ /. 

In the Toll* : — 

bow- 

inal i/, | I by a tant, tal 

ind a- heard in the Engli . tttf, — 

Ut. In :ill adjc Bz ! 

vil civil btil alii 

mil viril ril 

2d. In the substantives Nil 9 JU 9 prq/U, cxif, put 

Final I is silent in the adj (gentle^, and 

in the following substantives : — 

baril fenil chenil cuutil fom 
til uutil rsil soured nombril 

N. B. Although final I be generally sounded in the pronoun il, 

silent in noni| NKB ai plait-ill s'U vuus plait, 

comme U faut. 



40 PRONUNCIATION OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE. 

91. Rem. Final I takes what the French grammarians call a 
liquid sound, in the substantives 

cil avril peril Bresil 

gril babil gresil gentil (gentile) 

and in all words in which final il is preceded by a vowel, different 
from o. 

N". B. The liquid sound of Z, when at the end of a word, cannot 
be conveyed by any combination of English letters ; but when it is 
found in the middle of a word, it can exactly be represented by 
the English y, as heard in the word lawyer. 

Examples : gentilhomme Milhaut 

Pronounce, genti-yomme Mi-yaut 

§ 2. FINAL CONSONANTS PRECEDED BY CONSONANTS. 

92. The final consonants f, k and I are sounded after 
r, and final x after n. Examples : — 

nerf schirl lynx larynx 

serf schorl sphinx Danemark 

Exception : cerf -volant nerf-de-bceuf corne-de-cerf 
Pronounce, cervolant nere-de-bceuf corne-de-cere 

93. Any final consonant different from f k, I and x, 
is generally silent after m r n and r. 

Examples : marc clerc pore arc-boutant 
Pronounce, mar cler por ar-boutan 

EXERCISES. 



banc 


rond 


long 


dans 


ajonc 


jonc 


fond 


rang 


sans 


etang 


tronc 


blond 


sang 


gant 


hareng 


flanc 
franc 
blanc 


gland 
grand , 
quand 


seing 
poing 
coing 


camp 
champ 
plomb ' 


oblong 
aplomb 
Colomb 



Exceptions : Final b is sounded in rumb (pron. rombe). 

Final c is sounded in zinc, pare, turc ; in arc, when unconnected 
with boutant, and in done, when found at the beginning of a sen- 
tence. 

Final ch is sounded in punch (pron. ponche). 

Final d sounds in Sund (pron. Sonde). 

Final g sounds in proper names ending with berg; such as 
Bpitzberg, etc., and in the simple word bourg ; but is silent in all 
compounds ending with bourg, such as faubourg, Strasbourg, 
calembourg. 

Final q is sounded in the numeral cinq, unless immediately fol- 
lowed by a substantive or adjective beginning with a consonant 
different from h mute. 



niE i 11 

mded in thawonli mmur$ f wt&ti r ns t *aui 

is also M 

i<H «•!!• ill 1 

pfannl 
. \\ ii. n ;m Mtembl mud 

i \i 

nipt in-!' 

prompt i 

/ in all 

ii il ps U toond i[ilc8 : 

fipom :i int 

pre 

IV. Ifl i poi 

W "1.- m placed 

1 and final e or find t % it 1- booh 

■riant. Example* : — 













rapt 


intact 






IIKL-t 


<-.)n: 


in! 


talc 


malt 


iiulult 


abj 




spall 


bait 


oil 



n : In tl :'uial t i« 

t. but tli- led (like fc.) 

In the mum a >, the p blent; but 0m 

• . 
from h mute, 
ia Bilent in th .1 in Jitu , bur 

Bounded in th< 

Pin igt t ami sped, susp 

conspect, amid, 
4 



42 PRONUNCIATION OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE. 

§ 3. SILENT CONSONANTS IN THE MIDDLE OF WORDS, 

97. D is sCent in compound words beginning with 
grand'. Examples : — 

grand'mere grand'messe grand'rue 

98. G is silent in the words 

signet sangsue longtemps 

doigte vingtaine vingtieme 

99. L, which is liquid in the singular nouns ait, gen- 
tilhomme, is silent in the plural nouns aulx, gentils- 
kommes. 

100. M is silent in automne, and sounded in its 
derivative automnaL M is moreover silent in damner 
and its derivatives damnation, condamner, etc. 

101. P is silent in sept, septieme, septiemement ; and 
sounded in all other words beginning with sept, such as 
septante, Seplembre, etc. 

JP is sounded in baptismal, and silent in all other 
words of the same root ; such as bapteme, baptise?', Bap- 
tiste, etc. 

P is sounded in exemption, and silent in all other 
words of the same root ; such as exempte, exempter. 

Finally, p is silent in sculpter, dompter, compter, 
prompt, and all their derivatives, such as 

sculpteur t compte comptoir promptitude 
sculpture prompte comptable indomptable 

Tis silent in hautbois. 

* 

§ 4. LINKING OF FINAL CONSONANTS. 

102. When a word, ending with a silent consonant, 
is followed by a word beginning with a vowel or h mute, 
the final consonant of the former word is frequently 
heard at the beginning of the latter. For instance : — 

chez elle ^ fche zelle 

r trop ardent I J tro pardent , 

\ > pronounce < \ 

cent ans [ r ] cen tans 

vingt ans J l^vin tans 

This is what the French grammarians call Uqison, or 
• linking of final consonants. 



■ 



. i >r thi 
t ami x liki 

gTBlnl liMinii; 

a lu'urci j 

unples : Adam I 

mi 

in the 

I 
^tia lli 

a these the Hi. nstantljr 

take* pi 

i . The link 
syllables ending \> ii 

!tkin^ tftkafl plaOC in llM • 

2d. A fa r the pronow . and 

I 
uu$ 

lit f 

on / i tilt 

Bxamplei : — 

4th. After adverbs, irben closelj 

with th< \\\ 1:11; ■!. - : — 

peu rnrore 

beaucuu/t it I 

5th. After an adj rhen followed bj itan- 

tive or a word ntivc. Examples: — 

fnt li $<unt esprit <ute 

6th. After a verh (the infinitive ex , when 

f Mowed by a preposition, an adverb, or a pronoun Bob- 
Examples : — 

sont-elles? discnt-i Ji'-on? 



44 PRONUNCIATION OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE. 

7th. After a substantive, when joined to the next 

word by a hyphen. Examples : — 

pore-epic croc-en-jambe 

gnet-apens pot-au-feu 

Pont-Euxin pied-a-terre 

Rem. After a substantive, the linking takes only place in a few 
expressions of a particular form ; such as - 

depied en cap du blanc au noir 

de but en blanc de Jiaut en has 

defond en comble de long en large 

§ 5. ADDITIONAL REMARKS ON THE CONSONANTS. 

105. B (b) uniformly sounds as in English. Before 
c, t and sharp, hissing s, it takes, as in English, the 
sound of a slender p. Examples : — 

subtil obscur abstrait obconique 

106. C (c) before e, i, ?/, constantly takes the hissing 
sound, as heard in the English words vice, city. 

Examples : ocean vicicux official 
Pronounce, ossean vissieux offissial 

C (c with a cedilla underneath) is a substitute for 
hissing c before a, o and u. Examples : — 

cabepa fapade Franpois faponnier 
A pores perpoir /ran pah caparapon 

gerpure aperpu •souppon maponntrie 

C (c without a cedilla) sounds like &, 1st, before a, o, 
u; 2d, at the end of a word; and 3d, before a conso- 
nant different from h. 



Exceptions : 
Pronounce, 


second 
zgond 


secretaire 
zgretaire 


reine- Claude 
reine-Glaude 


In accordance 
y, sounds like h 


with the preceding rules, cc before e, 
j. Examples : — 


acces 
succes 

vaccine 


accent 

accident 

Occident 


accessible 
accessoire 
succcsseur 


accepter 

acce/erer 

occipital 


accise 
succ'm 


occision 
successif 


exsvecion 
accenser 


succw ique 
succinclement 



I '} 

I — 

smc 

' i : — ( 

nire 

■ 

wtockmrin 

^iivl, in 
lth. 

la liki- tin- Bnglii 
, and 

8, /' | i ind F 

:cepting the Dumeral m 

inning with a vowel <>r I 

Examples: 1j c$ 

Pj onoance, neuv bomm< tables 61 

L09. Gf (g) 1 ■ tlj tab 

dental Bound of tho English z, as bean] in the n 

'C. 

1> , ?/, at the end of n 

ent from *, it takes the guttural sound, as 
in English. 

ptinns: trine bour<; 

bourk 
4* 



46 PRONUNCIATION OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE. 

Rem. I. In accordance with the preceding rule, gg before e and 
i, contains both sounds. Examples : — - 

suggirer suggestion Beggio 

Rem. II. The combination gh is a substitute for guttural # before 
e and i ; but it is only found in the two proper names Berghen, 
Enghien* 

110. The combination gn is liable to three different 
sounds. 

1st. Before final e mute and in the termination 
gnement, it constantly sounds like final ng in English. 
Examples : — 



borgne 


enseigne 


grognement 


epargne 


empeigne 


eloignement 
enseignement 


repugne 


Sardaigne 


temoigne 


chataigne 


indignement 



2d. When gne is followed by a syllable different from 
ment, the mute e is sounded, and the gn takes the sound 
as heard in the English word mignonette. Examples : 
chdtaigncraie ivrognerie vigneron lignerolle 

o o o o 

This sound of g has been termed liquid, and gen- 
erally takes place, when gn is found in the middle of a 
word before a vowel different from e mute. Examples : 



signal 


rossignol 


castagnette 


agneau 


epagneul 


magnanime 


vignette 


compagnon 


temoio*nao;e 



soigneux campagnard repugnance 

3d. In a few particular words, gn takes the sound as 
heard in the English words signal, ignorant. 

-Examples : . igne stagnant inexpugnable 
Pronounce ig-ne stag-nant inexpug-nable 

This sound of gn constantly takes place at the begin- 
ning of a word, as in gnomon, gnostique, etc., and also 
in the following words 3 — 

agnus agnation stagnation magnesie 
agnat agnatique ignition magnolier 

cognat cognation ignicole diagnostique 

magnat cognatique regnicole impregnation 

N. B. Bear in mind that g is silent in the word signet 



PHOM m Of 181 i !:i:ncii I 17 

ill.// to be tupiraU , a I nil 

the foil : — 

It- li I<" 1 1 : 1 1 1 1 • j-- fa 

It boubloo bume 

baaaru !«• fa 

Ic h le 1 la li 

le h< la li 

le h le 1 It li 

7 i- note in otn*, 

n a w«»r«l beginning with in itpii 

l»ut no :i 
; alter //. 

tip- h is 

r 

t in the 

rmlv WOT*] '' .-in 

iniplo : 

N. B ^ in 

th«' Fri n h di 

1 1 2. L | ) baa two Bound* >ther aa 

in English. The Ik] I the 

. 

Th' 1 of / never take< place after i rowel 

m i ; henee final /, after a different 

jh. 
Liquid / in the i 

/, excepting the two '/tumme, 

Mil/taut. 

Rule I. When the combination SI is found after a 
Dt from N Bimple, it constant] 
liquid l % and sounds like y in th sh word lawyer* 

Examples: bouilli '•Huge bdilUr (•) 

Pronounce, bon-yi feu-yage 

* Ai ind t compound T< rv II : mark, moreover, 

that in tl. 'on tilL the t sounds lik 



48 PRONUNCIATION OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE. 
EXERCISES. 

bailli tailleur travailler . 

caillou meilleur conseiller 

Neuilly paillasse barbouiller 

veillez treillaore embrouiller 

veuillez vieillard gazouiller 

oeillet (*) brouillard merveilleux 

oeillacle sommeiller gribouillage 

* Mark that oz before liquid I sounds like eu. 

Rule II. When ill is preceded by a consonant or the 
simple vowel u, the i preserves its individual sound, and 
the // is generally liquid. 

Examples : tdlac Guillaume aiguillon 
Pronounce, ti-yac Ghi-yaume aigui-yon 





EXERCISES. 




tilleul 


habiller 


papillote 


filleul 


gaspiller 


fusillade 


billard 


grilloter 


cabillaut 


grillage 


sillonner 


corbillard 


pillage 


deguenille 


perilleux 


cuillere 


sourcilleux 


guillotine 



Exception I. Double I sounds as in English in the following. 
words and their derivatives : — 

ville village pupille vaciller tranquille 

• mille millesime nbrille distiller campanille 

Gille codieille titilier instiller arrnillaire 

Achille peccadille osciller scintiller maxillaire 

Exception II. When ill is followed by a diphthong beginning 
with i, it sounds as in English. Examples : — 

million billion trillion marguillier 

Rem. When ill is found at the beginning or end of a word, it 
sounds as in English. Examples : — 

bill illusive illimiU illuminer 

Rule III. Final ^7, after a vowel different from o, 
constantly represents liquid /, and shortens the vowel by 
which it is preceded ; whereas final ille y after a vowel 
different from u simple, lengthens that vowel. Ex : 
hail deuil orteil fenouil 

paible feuille oreille grenouille 



I |..\ Mj 111! I !:l N.ll I.W'.I UJK. 49 

l \i :i:r 1SE8. 

ilk 
Ik 

seuil Ii«>ti I Ik 

Urr, 

I >o in all 
inlli' — 

ghmdL I — 

\ 

.\i wr, tin- id 

1 1 hat only two sounds | 

as heard in the English word tisier; t! 
hern y. 

'1 h< rand of i takes | 

. g t lt % | Dg the I 

pronoun : — 

shire Irubal trailers 

pi 
rafil bisbille disj 

The sKarp sound of i takes pis snts 

//, 0, I 
I 

— 
ibe islam 

sph< fiscal ink conscience 

M - line 

•oft sound as 
heard in the English termination i*m. Rxsmpto : — 

prisi civi pleonasmi* judaif 

HOeSMM 
Biai mar. i line isass 

i. II Ths combination sch coi. junds like sh in 
Engli>h. Kxamples : — 

late . i rl ichabrsqiM ismstknie % 

ftdn schorl Schaffho Kamt>chatka 



50 PRONUNCIATION OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE. 

114. The sound of s before a vowel is sometimes 
soft, sometimes sharp, according to the following rules : 

1st. Initial s, before a vowel, constantly takes the 
sharp sound. Examples : — 

sol saut syllabe solaire 

sac salle social semblable 

2d. When a word beginning with sharp s is added 

to a word or a particle ending with a vowel, the sharp 

sound of s is preserved in the compound. Examples : 

havresac soubresaut monosyllabe 

parasol antisalle lunisolaire 

tournesol antisocial vraisemblable 

Exception : The s is soft in pTiilosophie and compounds begin- 
ning with re ; such as resonner, resoluble, etc. 

3d. Final s, when sounded, is constantly sharp; but 

when a word or a particle ending with s, is prefixed to a 

word beginning with a vowel, the s takes the soft sound 

in the compound. 

Examples : bisa'ieul transalpin sousentendu 

Composition, bis-aieul trans-alpin sous-entendu 

ET. B. All words which contain trans followed by a vowel, come 
under this rule ; excepting transe, transir, Transylvanie, in which 
the s is sharp. Examples : — 

transiger transitoire transitif intransitif 

4th. With regard to words different from the com- 
pounds above mentioned, the following rule is to be 
observed : — : 

Single s is soft between' two vowels, sharp between a 
consonant and a vowel. Examples: — 

present desole heresie prosodie 
absent console autopsie rapsodle 

Exception. 8 is sharp in desuetude, pusillanime, and soft in 
Alsace j Arsace, balsamine, balsamique. 

•N. B. Double 5 constantly sounds like one s pronounced sharp. 
Examples of both sounds : — 

rose rosse basin bassin poison poisson 

ruse russe frison frisson cousin coussin 

base basse baiser baisser embraser embrasser 

115. T (^) has two sounds; one hissing, equivalent 



t.> hi hard, as heard in I {Huh 

void unplei of t * « » 1 1 1 : — 

S >itc mitiati 

Pi in: 

M irk, it , thai the hissing sound and 

• w ed by another vom el, and that it m 
. at the beginning ol a a 
1 [en lard in the t word* : — 

>n 

mixtion OOmbtlSl 

ill qi» e ampl 

IP a l in the n 

neither i nor r, it tal 
ing | : — 

•. In all substantive! and with 

Ba ! partiel nation 

mart j ► « • t i . » 1 1 im| 

captieux 

ient 
parti quo! ittonnem 

2d. In Bui ith tie ; i 

. jditic. Examples \ — 

men mpi 

inr; pro] lomatie 

Dalmatic 

Bi inin unperitie 

3d. In proper nana- ending with- Ilea, and in a<: 

og the adje 
ckritu ". Examples: — 

Gral i vptii 'ii pticnne 

I tomitien cap capetienne 

Diocletion • dalmatien dalmatic 

4th. In the tw i initiate), balbai 

, in all their inflections and derivat 
1 -.v.m: lea : initier initiation baUmticn 
Pronounce, inieier iniciacion balbuciement 



52 PRONUNCIATION OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE. 

5th. In the words Miltiade, Spartiate, satiete, insa- 
tiable. 

117. Th (jfi) never takes the hissing sound of t, but 
constantly the hard sound. Examples : — 

Pythie Scythie Mathieu corinthien 

118. X (x) stands for two letters (gz or ita) ; except 
in numerals and a few proper names. 

It stands for gz, 1st, at the beginning of a word. 
Examples : — 

xenie xystique xylocarpe 

Xavier Xenophon Xantippe 

2d. In all words beginning with exa, exe, exi, exo, exu, 
exh. Examples : — 

exil exerce exorable exaucer 

exact exemple exuberant exhausser 

3d. In compounds of the preceding words ; such as 
inexact inexorable coexistence 

inexerce inexecutable preexistence 

Rem. Aside from the compounds just mentioned, ex in the 
middle of a word sounds like eks. 

Examples : Alexandre vexation reflexion 

Pronounce, Aleksandre veksacion refleksion 
Rem. II. Ex before a consonant different from Ti, or at the end 
of a word, sounds like eks. Examples : — 

excavation expliquer silex 

exclamation exterminer index 

Rem. As two hissing sounds coming together, coalesce into one, 
x before ce, ci and s, may be said to sound like k. Examples : — 
exsudation excision excellent 

exsiccation excitation exception 

When x is found after a letter different from e, it 
sounds like ks. Examples : — 

axe oxygene ixeutique Xerxes 
oxyde oxalique auxUiaire pharynx 

Exception : X sounds like sharp s in a few proper names and in 
the numerals 

six (six) dix (ten) saixante (sixty) 

and like z in the numerals 

dix-huit (18) sixieme (6th) deuxieme 

dix-neuf (19) dixieme (10th) (second) 

Exception II. In the proper name Bon Quixote, the*# sounds 
like sh in English. 



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